Tag: a cappella

Kings Return | After the Love Has Gone

“Grammy-nominated a cappella group Kings Return, made up of vocalists Vaughn Faison, Gabe Kunda, JE McKissic and Jamall Williams … (focus on) a mix of genres, including gospel, jazz and pop, and feature songs from their new album, Rove,” (Dartmouth.edu). “The group is well-known for videos posted online of their rehearsals in the stairwell of a Dallas church. ‘[The group] just happened to go in [the stairwell to rehearse],’ Faison said. ‘It sounds nice. It wasn’t anything that was preplanned. We tried going up and down [the stairs], but it doesn’t sound the same. It’s a three-floor stairwell; we’ve gone to the bottom floor and it doesn’t ring the same, especially when we’re singing ballad-y or classical. [The stairwell] allows everything to ring out really nicely.’

… Given that Kings Return found their start as undergraduate students themselves, one of the group’s main goals is to inspire students. ‘We’ve been inspired by so many that came before us,’ Williams said. ‘It’s cool to use all of the training that we gathered over the years and come together to be an inspiration. The future is in [students’] hands, so we want to make sure we’re doing our part to put forward positive energy.’ The group believes education is essential to art, and hope that by making themselves visible, kids might be inspired to never stop learning. ‘They won’t give up learning music if they see someone who looks like them or grew up like them reading off of sheet music,’ McKissic said. ‘We love giving back to students; music education was a big part of how this group formed.'”

The quartet’s cover of Earth, Wind + Fire’s legendary R&B power ballad hit, “After the Love is Gone” (1979), written by David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin, is marked throughout by harmonic and rhythmic precision that would be impressive even if the tune stuck to one key. But in addition to EWF’s complex original, Kings Return’s version features a striking intro and outro that are fully new and original to their arrangement. After the tension-filled, close-voiced intro, the verse begins in F major with a bass voice feature. At 0:59, the tri-tone shift to B major leads us into the multi-key chorus at 1:08. At 2:50, the stairstep climb up to a bouquet of keys, landing momentarily in B major on “found.” The pattern of EWF’s composition continues until 3:22, when the groove falls away and the arrangement suddenly veers away from the original.

Frank Ticheli | Earth Song (Young New Yorkers Chorus)

American composer Frank Ticheli on his 2004 work, Earth Song: “‘ … the music … first appeared in a work called Sanctuary, for wind ensemble,'” (FredBock.com). “‘As I worked on that piece, I just kept thinking this music is just begging to be sung by a chorus. The music is so vocal in and of itself. It was also written during a time when we were sort of stuck in the Iraq War when everyone – regardless of what political side they were on – was tired of that war, and so Earth Song was written to be very pro-peace. I guess you could also say anti-war and anti-violence. It was a cry and a prayer for peace.

Earth Song means different things to different people. I know for me, it sprang out of an intense weariness of war and a wish for peace. The second half of the poem talks about music as a comforting force and a refuge. When I was bullied as a kid, music was my refuge. I often thought about bullies in relation to this piece as well, because that’s where violence starts. But music is a place where people can find acceptance and love – and it can often be their saving grace. And it’s not just choir that people can find that comfort – it’s band, it’s orchestra… it’s just people coming together to make music.'”

This 2025 performance by the Young New Yorkers Chorus was conducted by Justin Duckworth. Earth Song is built primarily in F major. But at 2:50, a soft-spoken but profound G major chord breaks the spell; a repeated E major chord then upends the tonality yet again as the piece draws to an end.

Many thanks to longtime contributor Mark B. for this beautiful piece — his fourth submission to MotD!

Sing, Be, Live, See.
This dark stormy hour,
The wind, it stirs.
The scorched earth
Cries out in vain:
O war and power,
You blind and blur,
The torn heart
Cries out in pain.
But music and singing
Have been my refuge,
And music and singing
Shall be my light.
A light of song
Shining Strong: Alleluia!
Through darkness, pain, and strife, I’ll
Sing, Be, Live, See…
Peace.

Pentatonix feat. Hiba Tawaji | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

MotD holiday standby Pentatonix released their seventh holiday album, Holidays Around The World, in 2022. The record, which won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, songs from many different cultures. Hiba Tawaji, a Lebanese singer, is featured on this track. It begins in D, shifts up to Eb at 1:20, and up another step to F at 2:07.

Straight No Chaser | I Pray on Christmas

Straight No Chaser has become one of the most prominent professional a cappella groups in the United States after starting as a student group at Indiana University in 1996. They have released numerous holiday albums, and “I Pray on Christmas” is featured on their 2023 record Stocking Stuffers. The song was written and first released by Harry Connick Jr. on his 1993 album When My Heart Finds Christmas.

The tune begins in A and modulates up to Bb at 2:00.

Home Free + Straight No Chaser | Somewhere In My Memory

Home Free, an American country a cappella group, released Any Kind of Christmas, their third holiday album, earlier this year. The group rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of the NBC reality-singing competition The Sing-Off in 2013.

“Somewhere In My Memory,” originally written by John Williams for the 1990 film Home Alone, was nominated for a Grammy and an Oscar. Home Free’s cover features the Indiana-based a cappella group Straight No Chaser, and is the final track on the album. It begins in Bb and modulates up to C at 4:12.

Voctave + The Swingles | I Am What I Am

MotD favorite Voctave teamed up with the renowned a cappella group The Swingles to record “I Am What I Am,” Jerry Herman’s gay anthem from the 1983 musical La Cage Aux Folles. Now based in the UK, The Swingles have been active since the 1960s, when the group formed in Paris, and have released dozens of records and won five Grammy Awards.

The track begins in B major, modulates up a step to Db at 1:36, and then up another half step to D at 2:23. There is a final shift up to Eb at 3:06.

Voctave | On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)

MoTD’s favorite a cappella group Voctave’s latest release is a cover of “On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) from the 1965 musical of the same name. The song, written by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, was made famous by Barbra Streisand in her recording for the film adaptation five years later.

Voctave’s arrangement, by Jamey Ray, features actor/singer Tituss Burgess as the soloist. Beginning in Db, the tune modulates strikingly to F at 2:23.

Kings Return | So Amazing

“The members of the Dallas group Kings Return boast such perfect four-part harmonies they don’t need instruments, gadgets or electronics,” (Dallas Morning News). “They do, however, gravitate to one natural effect: Stairwell reverberation. Formed in 2016 to perform for bass vocalist Gabe Kunda’s graduation recital, Kings Return didn’t get serious until 2019, when videos of the band singing on a staircase at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington (TX) went viral. ‘That stairwell had such excellent reverb … it’s a huge part of our success: We joke that it’s the fifth member of the group,’ says baritone singer Jamall Williams.

Since its first video, King’s Return has racked up millions of views for its a cappella renditions of songs by everyone from Schubert to Shania Twain to Boyz II Men. Last fall, its recording of the Bee Gees’ ‘How Deep is Your Love’ earned Matt Cusson a Grammy nomination for best arrangement.”

Originally released by Dionne Warwick in 1983, “So Amazing” was co-written by Luther Vandross and bassist Marcus Miller. In 1986, Vandross covered his composition for his hit album Give Me the Reason. The a cappella version by Kings Return, released only a few days ago, starts in B major, drops a quick fake-out diversion from the key, and then lands decisively back in B major — within the first 16 seconds! The track transitions to G# major at 1:01, then F# major at 2:07; the closing sequence (starting at 2:37) drops the groove in favor of multiple overlapping harmonic footings which (surprise!) deliver us back to F# at the end.

Many thanks to Steve Travis for the submission of this beautifully re-imagined a cappella cover — his first contribution to MotD.

Rajaton | Laulamahan

Rajaton “is a six member a cappella group founded in Helsinki, Finland, that comprises two sopranos, two baritones, and an alto and tenor each,” (DCTheaterArts). “Rajaton is a pop sensation in its native Finland, where it is renowned for its genre-crossing repertoire of classical to Europop and where it has a double platinum, three platinum, and a collection of gold records, amongst over awards under its belt. The group … continues to spread the joy of their music through touring in over twenty-five countries. … The name Rajaton is the Finnish word for ‘boundless’ and (is a) metaphor for the wide breadth of their repertoire.”

From AllMusic’s profile of the group: “The group released its first album, Nova, in 2000, and over the course of the next decade managed another eight releases, including albums and DVD offerings. Their October 2007 album, Maa, was another strong seller for the band, as it cracked the Top Ten on the Finland album charts.”

The joyful track “Laulamahan,” released in 2022, shifts in texture throughout while the overall tempo remains unchanged. There are several modulations, the first of which is a shift two whole steps downward at 0:43.